Nthabiseng joined our project towards the end of 2019. She had previously worked for a family in the Eastern Cape for almost 20 years; both in their home and in their restaurant. She had to leave however due to ill health and once her health improved again she came to the Western Cape to try and find work.
From the time she joined the Love to Give programme, we could see her passion and her motivation to turn her life around. Within a week of signing up, she had already assessed all the assistance that we had to offer and knew that the small business development project was where she wanted to be. She had developed a passion for baking in her previous job and wanted to start a small business baking cakes, pastries and bread that she could sell in Kayamandi and neighbouring Cloetesville.
She joined our Business for Life course and started working on a business plan. She also started learning about Permaculture from Xolisile, our garden manager.
Due to her enthusiasm for gardening, she was selected to receive a veggie garden starter kit that was offered to some of our beneficiaries by the Department of Agriculture.
Over the December and January holiday, she started her veggie garden and soon realised that the small amount of land around her shack in Azania, Kayamandi was not sufficient and she negotiated with a few of her neighbours to start a garden in their yards as well.
The Corona virus unfortunately brought our Business for Life course to a grinding halt and the resources that we have been able to offer in support of small businesses has been limited, so Nthabiseng was not able to continue with her baking business plans during this time.
Her gardens however are flourishing and she is now able to feed herself from the gardens as well as sell some of her produce and generate a small income that helps sustain herself and her family back in the Eastern Cape. She is very proud of what she has achieved and we are too! Well done Nthabiseng! |